Simply Jamie: Fast & Simple Food

...‘to fit more cooking into your life, with total ease.’ And that neatly sums this new book up for me, and I will need a new shelf on my kitchen bookcase to house it, when it is not in use! Of course, these days, so much is online in advance of that chunky hardback hitting the doormat, but I look forward to delivery day, in any case...and today is the day! There are plenty of titles with the hint of ‘fast & simple food’, but there is that laid-back feeling when it is good old J.O., as is seen in his TV presenting style...ever encouraging. IMO, this latest offering is a cleanly presented, colourful volume packed with generally achievable recipes, with some tweaks on old + a fair bit of ‘cheating’, aka ‘short-cutting’, if you have the budget to cope with the various jars & tins. n.b. 5 everyday staple ingredients are assumed, and NOT included in the individual recipe ingredient list, namely: ~ OLIVE OIL ~ EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL ~ RED WINE VINEGAR ~ SEA SALT ~ BLACK PEPPER The usual equipment list is covered in the introduction, including some suggested desirables to speed the process up. The current stock image above for ‘Jarred Pepper Pasta’, pages 14 & 15, gives an idea of the layout and I am sure that the ‘READ SAMPLE’ will be along in a while. ooOoo ~ Simply Jamie: Fast & Simple Food’ ~ 'Dedicated to Bill Granger' ~ Photography by David Loftus ~ Design by James Verity Measuring around 19.5 cm x 2.75 cm x 25 cm, the front cover is less startling to the eye than last year’s 5 Ingredients Built to endure life in the kitchen, the simple but fresh looking green, black & white hardback cover, with a shiny silver finish to the fork, opens to 288 good quality pages, split over main chapters: (1) MIDWEEK MEALS (pg 10 - 81) (2) WEEKEND WINS (pg 82 - 149) (3) TRUSTY TRAYBAKES (pg 150 - 185) (4) CUPBOARD LOVE (pg 186 - 231) (5) PERFECT PUDS (pg 232 - 267) A black fabric ribbon is attached to keep your place. The publication can be persuaded to stay open at the chosen pages, in my experience, although that pud section can be more stubborn! Each chapter is simple in the opening with a casual shot of Jamie with one of his ‘finished dishes’ (for the main part), followed by a chatty introduction, such as ‘My Weekly Poached Chicken’ (pages 84 & 85) that fronts several recipes. With bold titles, the text is clear in black throughout, except for the ‘Weekend Wins’ section, which reverses the trend with a handful of recipes in white on a dark background, perhaps a touch more tricky to read if the light is poor. Uniform in the presentation, again for the best part, the recipe with numbered steps is on the left-hand page with a colourful picture of the completed dish on the right-hand page; the latter occasionally a step-by-step, such as ‘Reliable Sweet Shortcrust Pastry’, on pages 260 & 261 & ‘Secret Veg Sauce’, on pages 140 & 141 that encourages batch cooking. There is the occasional montage, e.g. ‘8 Cool Ways with Salmon’, on page 29 and ‘Easiest Ice Cream’ (no-churn) from the puds section including some choc-heavy recipes, dedicated to wife, Jools*! Shorter recipes, such as ‘Chicken Open Sandwich’ & ‘Chicken Bun’, are on one page (102 & 103). '8 Delicious Dressings' are pictured across a double-page spread (pages 40 & 41) with the recipes overleaf. ~ Swaps, including ‘Veggie’, are usefully included when appropriate, along with ‘Air Fryer It’, where relevant. The book winds up with Jamie with a cuppa, just after the usual back section, which includes: ~ ‘Simply Helpful Kitchen Notes’ ~ ‘Notes about nutrition, balance,…’ ~ ‘Simply Thanks’ The 11-page alphabetical index is up next, followed by the full list of J.O. cookery titles to date + the publisher detail. To echo what the great chef regularly says on camera ~ ‘It is a beautiful thing’ I simply love it...and that intriguing shot of the (flourless) ‘Decadent Chocolate Cake’, on page 245, has really caught my eye! *As is mentioned in the chat that is ‘Hero: Chocolate Cake’, on pages 242 & 243, Jools is definitely not the only ‘chocolate-obsessed human’! But...remaining on the sweet side, that 'Hot & Crispy Ice Cream Parcel', from pages 230 & 231, is on my menu tonight, using up the last one of those large tortillas that is indeed lurking at the bottom of my bread basket, as mentioned in 'Saving Tortillas'.

It's a simple way of cooking and you end with a restaurant type meal, Jamie Oliver takes you step by step.

An easy to follow book with a good selection of recipes. hard back make it more durable in the kitchen. I'm looking forward to using it.

Love Jamie’s books, and this one is no exception as it’s so well laid out with excellent photography, ingredient swap ideas and easy to follow instructions. Loved the idea of making a large bolognaise sauce and using it as a basis for different dishes and a basic chocolate cake recipe to turn into mouthwatering desserts. Jamie seems to adapt with the changes and preferences of public taste as time goes by, so for example, these recipes are using less meat and more legumes. This cookbook is definitely a pleaser for all the family and a route to healthier eating. 👏🏼

If you want a book with recipes that you can build upon. That give you some simple basic ideas but there is a add. This has a section on marinades and sauces with ideas on how to use them in a variety of dishes. It was the possibilities it opened up that I liked.

Well put together book. The tomato sauce recipe is ok as a base for other meals. Lots of different ingredients needed as usual for most reasonable meals. It’s not magic without the preparation needed to cook. Had some learning hints! Good book to refer to.

Jamie Oliver can't go wrong with his cook books. This is another selection of recipes that are all easy to cook and great to eat. The photography is wonderful and it is a lovely book to "simply" browse through. We all get into ruts with the food we prepare at home and this book will give some new ideas without needing ridiculous ingredients. I'm a big fan of tray bakes and have made them a lot recently so it was pleasing to see a whole chapter in this book dedicated to the tray bake - lots of ideas for new combinations.

Really good ideas and they do not break the bank with ingredients. Easy to follow instructions. I have knocked one star off as I would have liked to see if meals could be frozen as I cook for one.

Viele gesunde Kochideen mit Bildern

No sé la respuesta. Es para un regalo de Navidad a una amiga al que le gusta su cocina.

Clean eating made easy! Love his recipes, clean instructions and budget friendly!

The recipes in this latest cookbook are exquisite yet doable. I have the cornbread recipe in the oven right now. Another Jamie Oliver cookbook well done.

Who doesn’t love Jamie